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Friday, July 20

Oh, what a busy summer!

Oh, my! It is sooooooo busy around here. And it is soooooo hot! I don't mind the "busy" but I am just not real crazy about the heat! It's July, though, so I guess it's to be expected. Speaking of July.......this is only my second blogpost for the month of July. It started off with a "bang" on the 4th of July and has been hoppin' ever since then. It was so hot on the 4th of July that we decided we couldn't eat outside. Nope. Here we are with a brand-new deck and nice lawn furniture and the temp was 96 and humid. We dined inside and were happy to do so.

A couple days before the 4th, I bought a new toy for my front porch area..............

I saw this little Radio Flyer wagon at Uniques and Antiques in downtown Henderson a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure I should spend my pennies on it. But............when I had some extra pennies on hand, and the wagon was still on display........I decided it was meant to come home with me. ;-) My dad made the little wooden bear many years ago and the flag he holds is "vintage" as it's actually made from cotton fabric!
For our 4th of July dinner, we had guests........daughter Collette, and son-in-law, Daryl and grandson, Jacob and neighbor, Sue. And, of course, Kaiser, too. See him watching me mix goodies. I didn't give him any of that chocolate cake mix but.........

when I made a white cake mix, I let him lick the beaters. Yes, I did and remember that because later on.........well, just remember that. :-)
I was in the mood to bake and share. So I made cupcakes with little flags and two pies......one apple and one blueberry..........

Note to self when making pies..........Do not get distracted and run off to take picture of deer in neighbors yard..........because you might forget to put the flour in the blueberry pie filling. Hint: it was a little soupy but it was still very tasty. LOL! Here's the little fawn that made me run to get my camera...........

And just as I got closer for a better picture, I noticed that off to the left there was another fawn and then they both took off before I could click for a picture!!!
My husband loves white cake with vanilla frosting so I made one for him........and because I wanted a centerpiece for the table. LOL!

And at the end of the day, I had my husband take a picture of Jacob and me together because he is getting so tall!!

On July 5th.........which is our son Devlin's birthday........my husband had been out walking the dog and came in and asked.........."have you ever seen a lot of pigeons on the roof?" And I said "well, yes, sometimes I've seen a couple of doves." And he said......."no, I mean a lot of pigeons", so I went outside to check it out. Yep..........there were a lot of pigeons. Not sure why they stopped to visit our roof but not the lone white one below the rest of the pigeons............

She seemed to be the "guide pigeon" as they all perched in one area of the roof and then when she walked across to another part of the roof...........they all followed her!

It was so funny to watch them! And then pretty soon.......one by one, they all flew away.

One of the nicest things about where we live is seeing the clouds and sunsets. I love to take pictures of them but they don't always turn out so great. This day, they were great........

And thanks to new glasses, I'll be seeing those clouds and sunsets even better!! I didn't realize how much I needed new lenses until I got the new ones!

Now............remember how nice I was to let Kaiser lick the beaters for that white cake I made? Well, here is how he re-paid me..............

He ate my Prang crayons that I use for fabric quilting projects! Grrrrr!! And I mean, he ate most of the box! Luckily, they are non-toxic so we didn't have to call the vet. And because all things work out in the end...........well, you get the picture. :-) I am not sure why he ate the crayons as they were sitting in a box of craft supplies that has been in the same spot for two years and he never touched them!! Oh, well...........
I had another cloud opportunity and caught this picture as the sun was shining through the clouds.............

And speaking of sunshine..........this is my friend and neighbor, Sue, who could easily be given the title "Ms. Sunshine". She is always smiling and cheerful. She is helping me with some projects because I realized I needed a little assistance. I am woefully behind on projects due to all the health stuff I've been through the last couple of years. Sue is helping me get organized and we are doing a project that uses my little GO! Baby I got from Accu-Quilt last spring.

I'll share photos in a tutorial when we finish it up later this month. In the meantime, I went back to a project that has been "in progress" since 2006. It's a crazy quilt that is made in Mary Englebreit fabrics............

I am hand-stitching the entire quilt. I first pieced all the blocks, then the borders. I sashed the blocks with the black fabric and now it's ready for the black strips that will connect the rows. I was anxious to see what it is going to look like and I am really liking it .......... a lot!! It's my "watching T.V. and hand-stitching" project.
When my daughter watches T.V. and stitches, she is usually doing it in crochet. I bought the yarn so she would make me some hot pads for the patio table. I loved the bright sunny colors!

I think I mentioned that in June, I made new kitchen curtains. I haven't taken a photo yet because we are waiting for the hooks to arrive for the tie backs. And so, because I had nothing else to do, I decided to start working on a patchwork "race-themed" curtain for my husband's basement TV room. These are scraps from the quilt that I made for him..........

I am not so sure it will look all that great but he is sure it will, so that's all that counts.

And then............because I had another doctor appointment this past Monday, I decided to reward myself with a stop at Firefly Quilt Shop. Things are changing at the shop as they prepare for the upcoming Minnesota Shop Hop. This little corner was so fun and colorful. I remember that owls were really big when I first started quilting in the 1970's. Whoooooooo would have thought that they would make a comeback? Everything is new again........

When I left the quilt shop, I picked up grandson Jacob and he has been here visiting and helping this past week. I have been busy with details for my class reunion that is this Saturday night and our family reunion on Sunday. It wasn't all work, though, as we took a couple trips to the library for books and movies. We watched four movies, sorted some toys and books and he played on the computer while I baked more pies...........

There are two blueberry pies, two peach and one cherry. And they will all be gone in no time! And that reminds me that there are still some cinnamon pie crust bits that I could snack on. Off to the kitchen for a midnight snack.............
Back soon with quilty stuff. Have a great weekend! Sandi

I am breathless after reading of your escapades this month!! I don't even know where to begin.....Love the cloud pics (&,of course, the fawns), sorry about your fabric crayons (a mystery..."why now???"), the crochet trivets are great (really making a nostalgic 'comeback' of late), sweet pic of your neighbor AND your new 'specs'(hehe), your grandson definitely is growing up!, ME is one of my faves and that quilt is so neat..wow, hand pieced! Way to go!!, the heat has us indoors here (S.E.MN by Houston),too (corn being lost each day;-(). Hope your health is on the 'upswing'!! Blessings and hugs,Doreen

Phew! I need a breather after reading your post - lol! Cakes and pies look so yummy. Love the crazy quilt. I don't like heat and humidity either, but what to do?! :) Wonderful weekend to you and yours!

Welcome.........

I hope the stories and photos that I share will inspire and encourage your creativity and provide a pleasant little memory, too! Some days I'll write about quilting, some days about friends, places I've visited, projects, patterns, and more. I've spent more than 40 years stitching and creating and am enjoying this blogging journey that allows me to share my story with all of you!

I'm still on last weekend and the visit with my mom.......I always bring lots of bags with me full of projects and then I shop while I...

Show 'n Tell! at Quilting Gallery.......

Click the button to see lots of gorgeous Show 'n Tell quilts!

The Gentle Art.........

has provided threads for many of the projects that I share on my blog. Check them out at www.thegentleart.com !!! I love their hand-dyed/over-dyed floss that is available in so many gorgeous colors and equally beautiful names. They add just the right touch to the pieces that I embroider or embellishments added to wool and applique projects!

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For a Visit to Henderson on the Minnesota click on the link below....

Sharing my Christmas thoughts here...

Just click on the sled!

A beautiful quote...........

Rae Ann over at Cutie*Pinwheel blog shared this quote on her blog last Thanksgiving. I love it and asked her if I might include it here on my blog. Permission granted, so here it is.........
"Gratitude left unexpressed is like living in a dark world. Light up your life by expressing the gratitude you feel in your heart... especially for others." Quote by Rae Ann

And this one is from me.......

"I love making happy happen!"

It was inspired by a news report that said Monday, January 17 was the saddest day of the year. I decided to make it happy by sending e-mails to my quilty friends. It was a way to get rid of the sadness and make me some "happy"!!

The more you give..........

I didn't write this poem. It was posted on the bulletin board at the company I worked at many years ago. I never knew who wrote the poem because it just said "author unknown". I just recently learned that the poem is by Helen Steiner Rice. I love her poems and greeting card verses. I should have known it was written by her. I've added the correct title and her name. There is a great deal of truth in the poem. I just like what it says........Give Lavishly! Live Abundantly!

The more you give, the more you get.The more you laugh, the less you fret.The more you do unselfishly,the more you live abundantly.The more of everything you share,the more you'll always have to spare.The more you love, the more you'll findthat life is good and friends are kind.For only what we give away,enriches us from day to day.